Dictionary<TKey, TValue> Constructor (Int32, IEqualityComparer<TKey>)

Use this constructor with the case-insensitive string comparers provided by the StringComparer class to create dictionaries with case-insensitive string keys.

Every key in a Dictionary<TKey, TValue> must be unique according to the specified comparer.

The capacity of a Dictionary<TKey, TValue> is the number of elements that can be added to the Dictionary<TKey, TValue> before resizing is necessary. As elements are added to a Dictionary<TKey, TValue>, the capacity is automatically increased as required by reallocating the internal array.

If the size of the collection can be estimated, specifying the initial capacity eliminates the need to perform a number of resizing operations while adding elements to the Dictionary<TKey, TValue>.

Dictionary<TKey, TValue> requires an equality implementation to determine whether keys are equal. If comparer is null, this constructor uses the default generic equality comparer, EqualityComparer<T>.Default. If type TKey implements the System.IEquatable<T> generic interface, the default equality comparer uses that implementation.

This constructor is an O(1) operation.

The following code example creates a Dictionary<TKey, TValue> with an initial capacity of 5 and a case-insensitive equality comparer for the current culture. The example adds four elements, some with lower-case keys and some with upper-case keys. The example then attempts to add an element with a key that differs from an existing key only by case, catches the resulting exception, and displays an error message. Finally, the example displays the elements in the dictionary.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class Example
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        // Create a new dictionary of strings, with string keys, an 
        // initial capacity of 5, and a case-insensitive equality  
        // comparer.
        Dictionary<string, string> openWith = 
                      new Dictionary<string, string>(5, 
                          StringComparer.CurrentCultureIgnoreCase);

        // Add 4 elements to the dictionary. 
        openWith.Add("txt", "notepad.exe");
        openWith.Add("bmp", "paint.exe");
        openWith.Add("DIB", "paint.exe");
        openWith.Add("rtf", "wordpad.exe");

        // Try to add a fifth element with a key that is the same  
        // except for case; this would be allowed with the default 
        // comparer. 
        try
        {
            openWith.Add("BMP", "paint.exe");
        }
        catch (ArgumentException)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("\nBMP is already in the dictionary.");
        }

        // List the contents of the dictionary.
        Console.WriteLine();
        foreach( KeyValuePair<string, string> kvp in openWith )
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Key = {0}, Value = {1}", kvp.Key, 
                kvp.Value);
        }
    }
}

/* This code example produces the following output:

BMP is already in the dictionary.

Key = txt, Value = notepad.exe
Key = bmp, Value = paint.exe
Key = DIB, Value = paint.exe
Key = rtf, Value = wordpad.exe
 */

.NET Framework

.NET Framework Client Profile

Portable Class Library

.NET for Windows Store apps

Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core Role not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core Role supported with SP1 or later; Itanium not supported)

The .NET Framework does not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

Reference